Prague, Dec 29 (CTK) – Czech President Milos Zeman, 71, and Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka (Social Democrats, CSSD), 44, clashed over the migrant crisis and the aid to refugees, but they shared opinions about the economic policy and diplomacy and the importance of relations with China in 2015.
Their conflicting stances escalated on the national holiday on November 17, marking the student demonstrations against the Nazi occupation in 1939 and the Communist regime in 1989.
Sobotka said Zeman had joined populists who sponged on the fear of Islamic State and the migrant crisis when he had made a speech standing next to the extremist Bloc against Islam chairman Martin Konvicka on the stage in Prague-Albertov on November 17 and that he had thereby legitimised the spreading of xenophobia and hatred.
Zeman dismissed it and he accused Sobotka of threatening the security of the Czech Republic by his stance on the migrant crisis. He reacted to Sobotka´s words saying the danger was posed by terrorists, not by refugees who must be helped.
The discrepancies between Sobotka and Zeman, though less sharp, started with the arrival of the refugees´ wave in Europe.
Though both politicians reject the mandatory quotas for the redistribution of refugees across the EU, they have different views of whether the country should fight this decision in court and whether the refugees should be provided help at all.
Zeman said he was convinced that most refugees did not deserve compassion and he spoke about the threat of the sharia Islamic law being introduced to the Czech Republic.
Sobotka, on the contrary, said during his visit to a refugee camp in Jordan that the motivation of refugees cannot be questioned since most of them were fleeing from war. He also met Czechs helping refugees on November 17.
Presidential Office spokesman Jiri Ovcacek interfered in the conflict between Zeman and Sobotka in an unusual way this year.
“Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka has chosen his path: He is not the voice of the nation. He has become the voice of the media,” Ovcacek wrote on Twitter after Sobotka criticised Zeman for standing next to Konvicka on November 17.
Ovcacek later claimed that Sobotka had joined the “anti-Zeman campaign.”
The tense relations between both supreme politicians were reflected even in the seemingly trouble-free matter of organising the traditional New Year ́s luncheon in the presidential summer residence in Lany chateau, central Bohemia.
Sobotka said Zeman had invited only him, but not his wife to the luncheon. Zeman called it “a blatant lie” and he said he had invited not only Sobotka´s wife, but also his children.
Both politicians´ offices were accusing one another of having made a mistake in this case.
Other disputes between Zeman and Sobotka were provoked by their different views of the public Czech TV´s operation, Social Democracy and the appointment of three university professors, which Zeman refused. They also clashed about the case of a villa bought by Presidential Office head Vratislav Mynar for a suspiciously low price and prominent journalist Ferdinand Peroutka (1895-1978) whom Zeman accused of having written a pro-Nazi article, which was, however, never found.
Though mainly the migrant crisis seriously afflicted the relation between Zeman and Sobotka, they also reached consensus about a number of topics this year.
They have a very similar view of the economic policy.
Zeman praised Sobotka´s government, comprising his CSSD, the ANO movement and the Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL), for leading the country out of the drastic austerity measures taken by the previous right-wing cabinets.
Zeman also supports a rise in the minimum wage, the electronic registry of sales and a law on proving the property origin, which are Sobotka´s priorities.
Both politicians agree on the danger posed by Islamic State, the consistent support for economic diplomacy and the necessity to improve relations with China and Central Asian countries.
Sobotka stood by Zeman when some politicians criticised him for the programme of his visits to Russia and China this year where he had attended the bombastic Victory celebrations.
The relations of both politicians are not in best at the end of the year. The joint New Year´s luncheon on Sunday may indicate their further development in 2016.
